Don't Leave Me
by Timothy D
Summary: Serenity is attacked and nearly raped. Fleeing her attacker, she runs into Ryou, who helps her and promises to keep her safe.
1. Chapter 1

Don't Leave Me

Synopsis: On her way home, Serenity is attacked and nearly assaulted. Fleeing her attacker, she runs into Ryou, who stays with her for the night to comfort her.

Serenity was running as fast as she could, not looking back for fear of seeing him still chasing after her. The young girl was scared for her life and rightfully so.

/A Few Minutes Earlier/

Yugi, Joey, and most of the others were participating in yet another Duel Monsters tournament in America. Serenity, for the most part, had been left alone. After a long day at school, Serenity was walking home. She was trying to get home quickly as it was supposed to start raining soon. when a tall man with a few muscles and wearing sunglasses walked up to her.

"You're that dweeb Joey's little sister, aren't you?" The man asked.

"Who are you?" Serenity asked.

"I'm an 'old friend' of your brother" The man answered, advancing a little closer.

"An old friend?" Serenity asked, taking a step back.

"Yeah, we met at Duelist Kingdom where your brother robbed me of my chance at redemption" the man growled, his lips curling into a twisted smirk. "I think I'll even the score by taking something from him"

Serenity stepped back, trying to put some distance between the man and herself.

"Stay away from me" she said, starting to become nervous, before turning and trying to run away.

"Where do you think you're going?" The man asked, grabbing Serenity by her waist and pulling her into an alley. He clamped his hand over her mouth keep her from screaming. "Did I say you could leave?"

Serenity felt her shirt being ripped apart, the tank top she wore underneath quickly being pulled off. Her shorts were ripped next followed by her panties, leaving her private area exposed. Serenity felt the man stick two fingers inside of her while groping her breasts with his other hand. Serenity shuddered and moaned as tears formed in her eyes.

"Damn, you're pretty tight" the man said, a sneer plastered on his face.

Serenity heard the man unzip his pants. Serenity didn't know what she could do, but knew she had to think fast. Serenity kneed the man as hard as she could in the groin; the man doubled over in pain and Serenity took it as an opportunity to run.

/Present/

Serenity continued running as fast as she could, even though she had no idea where she could go and the rain was making it difficult to see. Her house was still a long ways away, the Kame Game store was even further, and most of her friends were in America. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she looked around to see if there was anyone who could help her, but the streets seemed to be abandoned. Serenity was prepared to give up all hope when she ran into someone.

"Serenity, is that you?" She heard a voice above her.

Serenity looked up and saw Ryou Bakura standing before her.

"Are you alright?" Ryou asked, noticing her torn clothes and the tears in her eyes. "What happened?"

Serenity sniffled and started crying harder. "This man… he said he knew Joey… and he tried to rape me" she said and couldn't say anymore, too overflowed with tears.

"Ssh Serenity, come with me" Ryou said, giving her his jacket so she could cover up, leading her to his house. When they arrived, Ryou gently placed her on the couch.

"I'll go get you some new, dry clothes" Ryou said as he turned and headed for the stairs, only for Serenity to grab him by the wrist.

"Don't... leave me..." Serenity choked out, still sobbing hysterically.

Ryou blinked and sat down next to her on the couch, wrapping his arms around her.

"Don't worry, I won't leave you" Ryou assured her, rocking back and forth.

Serenity leaned over and cried into his chest, getting it wet with salty tears. They stayed in that position for awhile till Serenity's heavy sobs became occasional hiccups. Ryou smiled softly at her, picking her up and carrying her to his room. Once there, he set Serenity on his bed so that she was sitting up.

"Serenity, you need to change out of those clothes, okay?" His only response was a small nod, in which gave his signal to get up and walk over to his closet, searching through it.

He found exactly what he was looking for. A pair of grey sweatpants and a red plain white t-shirt. He smiled slightly and walked back over to Serenity, handing her the clothes.

"I'll leave so you can get changed, alright?" He asked, but to his surprise Serenity shook her head.

"Can... can you stay? Please, I don't want to be alone right now." Serenity asked, no, begged. Ryou blinked, then nodded.

"Okay, I'll stay right here" Ryou said, to the far side of the room, facing the wall. There was the rustling of clothes as Serenity slowly changed into the clothes.

"You can look now" Serenity said softly, sitting on the edge of the bed. Ryou smiled, walking over and kneeling in front of her.

"Serenity, can you tell exactly what happened?" Ryou asked, instantly regretting it as fresh wave of tears hit Serenity. She doesn't let them go down there.

"You don't have to tell me right now if you don't want to."

"No... I have to tell you sooner or later..." Serenity took a deep breath, then began.

"I was heading home when some guy walked up to me. He said that he and Joey had met at Duelist Kingdom and that Joey had robbed him of his chance at redemption. He said he would get his revenge against Joey by taking away his little sister. I tried to run but he grabbed me by my waist and pulled me into an alleyway. He started ripping away at my clothes and groping me when I finally regained my composure and kicked him in the… more private place. While he was doubled over in pain, I took the opportunity to run. I was lucky to run into you otherwise he might've…"

Serenity stopped and bit her lip, not wanting to ponder on the issue any further. Some tears were rolling down her face as she brought her knees up to her chest and buried her face in them.

"If you don't mind me asking, do you think you could tell me what this guy looked like?" Asked Ryou.

Serenity took a deep breath and said "He had tanned skin and was muscular. He had blond hair. I didn't see his eyes because he was wearing dark sunglasses-"

Ryou stopped her right there, having a good idea of who Serenity's would be rapist was, asking "Was he wearing a American flag on his head?"

Serenity nodded. "Yes, do you know him too?"

"Yes, but don't worry Sere', I'll make sure he doesn't get away with what he did" said Ryou with much determination, such determination that caused Serenity to look up.

"You will?" Serenity asked uncertainly. Ryou smiled and nodded.

"Of course. You're my friend Serenity, I'd never leave you." Serenity smiled and threw her arms around Ryou's neck, burying her face in his shirt again.

"Thank you so much Ryou..." He only nodded, holding her close until he was pretty sure she was asleep. Smiling, he lays her down on the bed, covering her up. He turned to go to the living room to go back to sleep, when a hand reached out and grabbed his wrist. He looked back and saw that Serenity was still awake, though just barely.

"Sleep with me here... will you?" Ryou blushed lightly at that, but since this was for Serenity...

"Sure Sere'." Ryou said and carefully lied down beside her, upon where she wrapped her arms around his waist and snuggled closer to him. His blush deepened, but he didn't say anything and hugged her closer. They fell asleep in that position, leaving their problems for the warm and comforting land of sleep.

**I'd be surprised if anyone actually read this story. But if you did then I appreciate it. There will be mmore chapters so stick around if you want more. Have a nice day and peace out!**


	2. Chapter 2

Don't Leave Me: Chapter 2

Ryou woke up to find Serenity still sleeping, cuddled up next to him. He gently Placed the blanket on top of her before getting out of bed. He decided to call Joey and let him know what happened. Quickly dialing Joey's number, Ryou waited for a few seconds before hearing that familiar Brooklyn accent.

"Hey, Bakura; what's up?" Joey greeted. "Is everything alright?"

"Not exactly" Ryou replied.

"What's going on?" Joey asked.

"It's your sister" Ryou answered before Joey cut him off.

"What happened to my sister?!" Joey asked, becoming enraged. "Did someone lay their hands on my Serenity!?"

Ryou took a couple of moments to think about his to break the news to Joey before saying "I think Bandit Keith tried to rape your sister."

"WHAT!? Please tell me this is just a sick joke!" Joey screamed.

"I wish it was" Ryou replied solemnly. "I found her while she was fleeing. I brought her home with me. She's pretty traumatized, but she's safe."

"Wait, you brought her home with you?" Joey asked. "The same home as your Yami!?"

"Don't worry, I won't let my Yami anywhere near Serenity" Ryou assured him. "She's safe with me"

"Where is she right now?" Joey asked.

"She's currently sleeping and I don't want to bother her," Ryou said "but I'll tell her you called"

"Thanks for looking after my sister" Joey said.

"No problem" Ryou said. "When do you think you and the others will be coming back?"

"Well we still have another two weeks before the finals so we'll be returning as soon as they're over" Joey said.

"Alright, thanks a bunch Bakura" Joey said before hanging up. He had to so he could try and calm down. The thought of that cowardly son of a bitch laying his hands on his sister made his blood boil. After hanging up, Joey punched a hole in the hotel room wall, waking up Yugi.

"Is everything alright Joey?" Yugi asked.

"It's my sister" Joey said, throwing his head in his hands. "Apparently that lousy bastard Bandit Keith tried to rape her!"

"Is she going to be alright?" Yugi asked.

"Yeah, Bakura's looking over her until we get back" Joey informed him. "I hope she'll be alright"

After getting off the phone with Joey, Ryou was confronted by his yami.

"Uh, yadonushi; do you mind examining why the furry's sister is sleeping in the guest room?" Bakura asked.

"Last night, Bandit Keith tried to rape her" Ryou explained.

"And you're letting her stay here?" Bakura asked.

"She's scared and doesn't want to be left alone, besides it's only until the others get back from America" Ryou said.

Bakura opened his mouth to say something but the two were interrupted by the sound of a scream. With break neck speed, Ryou took off towards the guest room. He found Serenity whimpering and crying, thrashing around in bed.

"No, get away from me!" Serenity screamed. "S-someone, help!"

Ryou realized she was having a nightmare about yesterday. Ryou gently grabbed her by her shoulders and pulled her into a warm embrace. He called out to her, trying to snap her out of it.

"Serenity," he said gently. "Serenity, it's only a nightmare. It's not real. Serenity, wake up! Serenity!"

"R-Ryou?" Serenity stammered in a tone that broke Ryou's heart. She sounded like a frightened child. Ryou choked back a sob and focused on comforting Serenity.

"Don't worry, I'm right here" Ryou answered gently. "I won't let anyone hurt you"

She sobbed into his shoulder. Her cries were so hard she shook, and he quietly held her, stroking her hair. Eventually Serenity settled down and managed to get a hold of herself.

"Would you like something to eat?" Ryou asked.

Serenity shook her head. She was still feeling nauseous and right now just wanted to forget anything had happened. Ryou knew that pressuring her wasn't exactly going to help.

"Are you going to be alright?" Ryou asked.

Serenity nodded.

"I talked to Joey" Ryou informed her.

"Really, what did he say?" Serenity asked.

"He said that it would be another two weeks before he would be coming back" Ryou informed her. Ryou noticed Serenity's face sink for a brief second and she looked absolutely heartbroken. Just as quickly though, a smile formed on her face.

Serenity was honestly a bit upset that her brother chose a children's card game over her but tried not to let it bother her. Joey would never abandon her, would he? Serenity quickly pushed the thought out of her head.

Bakura stood in the doorway, watching his yadonushi comfort the distraught girl. He wondered if Ryou would finally work up the courage to make a move. This was the perfect opportunity for him to get closer to the girl of his dreams.

/Over in America/

Yugi and the others noticed Joey was noticeably more aggressive when dueling. He attacked more frequently, sacrificed monsters left and right and occasionally cleared the field of all monsters. Yugi knew it was because he was concerned for his sister, but Tea and Tristan were baffled.

"Hey guys, is it me or does Joey seem a bit more angrier than usual?" Tea asked.

"Yeah, I've noticed to" Tristan said. "Did someone spit in his breakfast this morning?"

Yugi debated on whether or not to tell them what happened to Serenity. Tea and Tristan noticed this and quickly asked Yugi what was going on. Yugi reluctantly explained the events that had transpired leaving them stunned.

"If Serenity was nearly raped by Bandit Keith, then why are we still here in America?" Tea asked angrily.

"Huh?" Replied Tristan.

"There are always more Duel Monsters tournaments we can attend," Tea pointed out. "The fact that we're putting a children's card game over the condition of our friend is disgusting! As soon as this duel is over, we're withdrawing from the tournament and going back home to Domino City!"

Yugi and Tristan nodded, knowing better than to argue with an angry Tea. As soon as Joey finished dueling, Tea have him the same speech and told him they were leaving. Joey didn't protest and in fact, seemed eager to leave. The following day, all four of them were on a plane headed back to Japan.

_**In the Next Chapter:**_

_**Ryou suddenly felt Serenity grip his arm even tighter. Ryou wondered why that was until he looked up and saw Bandit Keith on the other side of the street. Ryou's blood began to boil and he wanted more than anything to knock Keith's lights out.**_

**Until next time, I've been Timothy D and Have a nice day!**


	3. Chapter 3

Don't Leave Me, Chapter 3

Today Serenity would be returning to school following the incident. Serenity didn't feel safe walking by herself and Ryou didn't mind accompanying her. It was a long walk to the school for Serenity, who constantly looked over her shoulder. Ryou could sense her discomfort and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Don't worry, everything's going to be alright" Ryou assured her, giving her a warm smile.

Naturally, Ryou wasn't allowed to accompany Serenity to her classes but he promised her that he would be waiting when she got out. Meanwhile, Ryou was going to look for Bandit Keith. That slimy bastard was bound to be hiding out somewhere in Domino City. Ryou didn't know what he could possibly do to someone like Bandit Keith, who was much bigger and stronger than him but he didn't care. He had alerted police but was told that they couldn't do anything about it.

Ryou knew he wasn't making the wisest decision. Bandit Keith could easily rip him to shreds with his brute strength. Someone had to do something about this. Ryou was stunned when he heard his yami's voice behind him.

"Looking for someone, Yadonushi?" Bakura asked.

Ryou ignored his question and answered with one of his own. "How long have you been following me?"

"I've been following you ever since you left the house with that girl, now answer the question" Bakura replied.

"I'm looking for Bandit Keith, there are you happy?" Ryou replied

Bakura took a moment to laugh before saying "Are you crazy? That bastard will rip you apart as if you were wet paper. Are you really willing to risk your life over a weak girl?"

"Yes!" Ryou said emphatically causing Bakura to laugh again.

"What?" Bakura asked. "Are you in love with her or something?"

Bakura was met with silence and saw Ryou blushing.

"Oh my god, you really are in love with her!" Bakura said deadpan. "And what exactly do you expect to accomplish by confronting Keith, to be her knight in shining armor?"

"Well someone has to confront him about what he did, and with Joey and the others in America, who else is going to do it?" Ryou replied.

"And what exactly are you going to do?" Bakura asked. "Tell him what he did was wrong and that he should take a timeout, go sit in the corner and think about what he did?"

Ryou had no answer.

Bakura rolled his eyes and muttered "Come on, let's get this over with"

"What?" Asked a confused Ryou.

"I'm not going to let you do this alone and get yourself killed" Bakura said. "I'm coming with you"

"But, why?" Ryou asked.

"Well, it's been a while since I've paid my rent, Yadonushi" Bakura said with a malicious smirk.

Normally Ryou would've groaned at the thought of what his yami would do to someone, but if there was anyone more worthy of Bakura's wrath, it was Keith. Ryou continued his search for Bandit Keith with Yami Bakura at his side. Despite extensive searching, their effort to find the thug came up fruitless. Ryou rushed back to Serenity's school to escort her home.

"How was school?" Ryou greeted Serenity with a smile.

"It was great," Serenity said, smiling back. "Well, there was a pop quiz I was unprepared for but other than that, my day was great"

Ryou was surprised when Serenity grabbed his hand. The two began the trip back to Serenity's house. They took the time during the walk to really get to know each other. The duo discovered they had more in common than they thought such as an interest in Monster World as well as being virtually alone most of their lives. Ryou did his best to hide the fact that he was blushing. Serenity seemed to take notice of this.

"Are you alright, Ryou?" Serenity asked, smiling at him.

"I'm better than okay," Ryou replied, smiling back at her.

Suddenly, Ryou felt Serenity grip his hand even harder and she immediately tensed up. Ryou wondered why that was until he looked up and saw Bandit Keith on the other side of the street. Ryou's blood began to boil and he wanted more than anything to knock Keith's lights out. Right now however, he needed to focus on getting Serenity home safely. There were very few people around so it wouldn't be hard for Bandit Keith to spot them.

"Th-that's him!" Serenity stammered, pointing at Keith. "That's the guy who tried to rape me! We have to get out of here"

"Serenity," Ryou tried to calm her down.

"I don't want him to see me, please!" Serenity pleaded tearfully, scared for her life. "Who knows what he'll do"

"Serenity, look out at," Ryou said, looking into Serenity's eyes. "He's not going to see you, I'm not going to let him hurt you, I'm going to get you home safely. I know a shortcut to your house, okay?"

"Okay" Serenity nodded before following Ryou. The two didn't notice that Bandit Keith caught a glimpse of them and followed in their direction.

Ryou lead her through a couple alley ways that twisted and turned. Serenity looked over and was terrified by what she saw.

"Uh, Ryou" Serenity said, pointing behind them.

Ryou looked back and saw Bandit Keith in the distance. The thug was looking around, trying to find the pair. Ryou saw a large empty crate and thought quickly.

"Come on," Ryou said, lifting the top to the crate so he and Serenity could crawl inside.

Once they were safely inside, Ryou pulled the lid over the crate. They heard footsteps approaching and made sure not to move an inch. They didn't make a single sound as they heard the footsteps getting closer.

"Where the hell did they go?" They heard Bandit Keith mutter. "I guess that British dweeb is acting as her bodyguard now. Heh, it's going to take a lot more than that loser to keep me from getting my revenge"

Ryou saw the look in Serenity's eyes- the fear, the desperation. She wanted to cry and all Ryou could do was tell her Keith would never find her. Slowly the footsteps got farther and farther away. The two waited for almost an hour until finally coming out. From there, the two ran until they finally made it to Serenity's house. When they opened the door, they were surprised to find Joey, Yugi, Tea, and Tristan were waiting for them.

"Serenity!" Joey yelled as he ran over to Serenity and wrapped his arms around her.

"Joey? I thought you were all in America!" Serenity said.

"As soon as we heard what happened, we withdrew from the competition and came back here," Tristan told her.

"Of course, Tea also did a little persuading" Joey said. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine thanks to Ryou" Serenity said.

"It was nothing, really" Ryou said.

"Are you kidding me?" Joey said, grabbing Ryou in a hug so tight he could barely breathe. "You saved my sister's life, I owe you big time!"

"He may have saved my life a second time," Serenity said before explaining what had just happened.

When she was done, everyone was enraged. Joey looked as if he were about to explode when he got up and headed towards the door.

"Where are you going?" Everyone asked simultaneously.

"I'm going to go give that sick bastard a beating he'll never forget," Joey stood them.

"Joey, wait!" Serenity cried. "You can't go out there! He'll kill you!"

"I'm not letting that scumbag get away with attacking my sister," Joey said.

"I know you're angry but going out looking for fight is only going to get someone hurt" Yugi tried to talk some sense into Joey.

Joey knew that Yugi was right and calmed down a bit. But this wasn't the end of things by a long shot. Bandit Keith would pay for what he did.

**In the next chapter: **

_**"Serenity, what's your problem?" Joey asked, grabbing the side of his face.**_

_**"What's my problem? My problem is you always putting Duel Monsters first!" Serenity shouted. "You're almost always away at some Duel Monsters tournament!"**_

_**"I'm always alone since Mom is out gambling or wasting her money some other way! Do you have any idea how worried I get about you and you don't even seem to care!" Serenity continued. **_

_**"I-I didn't know you felt that way" Joey said.**_

_**"Of course you didn't because you're never around!" Serenity yelled, tears streaming down her face.**_


	4. Chapter 4

Don't Leave Me, Chapter 4

In the days following his return from America, Joey noticed his sister seemed much more withdrawn. Not that he could blame her. Joey's blood boiled every time he thought about what happened. Joey just couldn't shake the feeling that Serenity was upset with him however. Every time he tried to speak with her, she'd turn away. Even stranger, whenever Serenity caught Joey looking at her, she'd look away. This behavior troubled Joey, who wondered what he had done wrong. Yugi, Tea, and Tristan noticed Joey seemed upset and decided to ask him what was wrong.

"Hey Joey, how's Serenity doing?" Tristan asked.

"I don't know" Joey said. "Ever since I got back, it seems as if she's been trying to avoid me, as if I'm the one who tried to rape her"

"I'm sure she's still just trying to cope with what happened, don't let it bother you too much" Tea tried to assure him.

"But I can't just let it go" Joey said. "I feel like I should've been there for my sister and that I let her down by not being there to protect her"

"I understand you're upset with yourself, but beating yourself isn't going to help anyone, certainly not Serenity" Tristan gave his friend a pep talk.

"Besides, Are you sure you're not just imagining things" Yugi asked. "I mean, what reason would Serenity have to avoid you?"

"Maybe you're right" Joey said before noticing their British friend was missing. "By the way, has anyone seen Bakura?"

"He said was going to walk your sister to school," Tristan told him.

"What's with Bakura getting close to my sister all of a sudden?" Joey exclaimed. "And why does my sister hang around Bakura so much recently?"

"Calm down, Joey; Serenity's probably just confiding in Ryou," Yugi said.

"But why does she feel like she can't confide in me?" Joey asked.

"If you're so worried about your sister why don't you just talk to her about it," Tea proposed.

##########################

In the days following the attack, Serenity had been very nervous around other boys. She didn't know who she could trust, not even her brother. She wished she could just go to sleep and that everything would magically be better the next morning. Sleeping wasn't easy however, as Serenity found herself being plagued with nightmares almost every night. Whenever she was alone, Serenity couldn't help but constantly look over her shoulder. Serenity just wanted to wake up from this seemingly never ending nightmare.

Serenity didn't know what it was about Ryou that made her feel safer. Over the last couple of days, Serenity found herself becoming more attached to Ryou. It was getting to the point that she felt he was her knight in shining armor. Serenity felt guilty about having to have Ryou accompany her almost everywhere she went. Now that she was being stalked by Bandit Keith, Serenity might've inadvertently put Ryou in danger. Granted, Ryou didn't seem to mind and in fact Serenity occasionally noticed him blushing whenever she thanked him. Serenity was interrupted from her thoughts when she heard a knock at her door. Serenity was hesitant to open the door but relaxed a little bit when she heard her brother's voice.

"Hello, Serenity?" Joey called out. "Are you there? It's me, Joey"

Serenity opened the door for her brother.

"Hey," Serenity said rather deadpan.

"Are you alright?" Joey asked, taking notice of the fact that Serenity seemed rather hostile.

"I'm fine," Serenity replied, turning around and walking back inside.

"Look Serenity, I just came to talk," Joey explained.

"I don't feel like talking," Serenity stated, confusing Joey even further.

"Serenity, I'm just a bit worried about you," Joey tried to tell her, placing his hand on her shoulder, causing Serenity to aggressively slap his hand away.

"Don't touch me!" Serenity snapped, taking a few steps back from her brother.

"Serenity, calm down; I'm not going to hurt you," Joey said, disregarding Serenity's warning and walking towards her, trying to calm her down.

"I SAID DON'T FUCKING TOUCH ME!" Serenity screamed as she violently slapped Joey across the face and pushed him away. Serenity could no longer hold in her pent up anger at her brother and had tears of anger running down her face.

"Serenity, what's your problem?" Joey asked, grabbing the side of his face.

"What's my problem? My problem is you always putting Duel Monsters first!" Serenity shouted. "You're almost always away at some Duel Monsters tournament!"

"I'm always alone since Mom is out gambling or wasting her money some other way! Do you have any idea how worried I get about you and you don't even seem to care!" Serenity continued.

"I-I didn't know you felt that way" Joey said.

"Of course you didn't because you're never around!" Serenity yelled, tears streaming down her face.

"Look Serenity, I know I'm not always around and I'm sorry for that" Joey said, trying to console his sister "But I do care about you. I know I might not have done anything-"

"And that's just it!" Serenity shouted, slapping Joey across the face once again. "You just sit back and let me almost get raped!"

"I know I messed up big by leaving you by yourself, but as soon as I heard what happened, I dropped everything to come back and make sure you were alright," Joey said.

"Yeah, only because Tea made you!" Serenity retorted. "If she didn't say anything, you would've stayed in America until after the tournament was over!"

"Do you think that I would put a card game tournament over your safety?" Joey asked.

"Yes, you've already done so several times before!" Serenity replied. "If I hadn't run into Ryou, I could have been killed; and even worse, it was your enemy who only came after me to get revenge on you! In a way, it is your fault what happened"

"Serenity, please; listen to me," Joey pleaded, wanting nothing more than to help his sister.

"Get away from me!" Serenity shouted as she turned and ran out the door.

"Serenity, wait!" Joey yelled, chasing after her but soon she was out of his sight. Serenity was unaware of the person following her through the street.

**In The Next Chapter:**

_**"Are you alright?" Ryou asked, handing Serenity a cup of tea.**_

_**"I'm alright, it's just that-" Serenity said before pausing, not sure whether to get into what was troubling her. **_

_**"It's okay, you can tell me" Ryou assured her, gently grabbing her hand.**_

_**"It's my brother," Serenity said. "I feel as if it's his fault I almost got raped. I know he wouldn't want anything bad to happen to me and that he loves me but he's always leaving me alone, going off to some Duel Monsters game tournament. I know I shouldn't hold this against him but I can't help but feel just a little bit of resentment towards him. Do you know what I mean?"**_

_**"I know exactly what you mean," Ryou said before clarifying. "When I was 8, my mother and my sister were killed in a car accident. My father immediately tried to distract himself by burying himself in his work, traveling around the world and leaving me by myself. I rarely ever see him. At times I blamed him for bringing the Millennium Ring and it's malevolent spirit into my life, but I'd always realized he never intended to cause me harm."**_

_**"Thanks, Ryou," Serenity said, but she still had her worries. "But I know Joey's going to participate in more tournaments and I'm scared about being left alone"**_

_**"You don't have to worry about being alone," Ryou assured her. "I'll always be here for you"**_

_**"Thank you, Ryou" Serenity said, throwing her arms around Ryou and pulling him into a bear hug. **_

_**The duo's touching moment was interrupted when they heard Ryou's window being broken. They were both surprised to see Bandit Keith climbing in through the window. Serenity immediately hid behind Ryou.**_

_**"Aw, that's so adorable" Keith laughed as he walked closer to the two, an evil look in his eye.**_


	5. Chapter 5

Don't Leave Me C5

Serenity ran through the streets as fast as she could, always making sure to look over her shoulder just to be sure. Serenity could've sworn she saw someone following her out of the corner of her eye, which only encouraged her to run faster. Finally, Serenity made it to Ryou's house and knocked on the door.

"Hello Serenity" Ryou greeted her as he quickly answered the door.

"Hey, Ryou; can I come in?" Serenity asked.

"Why, of course," Ryou said, stepping aside and letting Serenity inside.

Serenity walked into the living room and took a seat. Ryou noticed that she seemed a bit distressed. Ryou quickly fixed some tea and joined Serenity in the living room.

"Are you alright?" Ryou asked, handing Serenity a cup of tea.

"I'm alright, it's just that-" Serenity said before pausing, not sure whether to get into what was troubling her.

"It's okay, you can tell me" Ryou assured her, gently grabbing her hand.

"It's my brother," Serenity said. "I feel as if it's his fault I almost got raped. I know he wouldn't want anything bad to happen to me and that he loves me but he's always leaving me alone, going off to some Duel Monsters game tournament. I know I shouldn't hold this against him but I can't help but feel just a little bit of resentment towards him. Do you know what I mean?"

"I know exactly what you mean," Ryou said before clarifying. "When I was 8, my mother and my sister were killed in a car accident. My father immediately tried to distract himself by burying himself in his work, traveling around the world and leaving me by myself. I rarely ever see him. At times I blamed him for bringing the Millennium Ring and it's malevolent spirit into my life, but I'd always realized he never intended to cause me harm."

"Thanks, Ryou," Serenity said, but she still had her worries. "But I know Joey's going to participate in more tournaments and I'm scared about being left alone"

"You don't have to worry about being alone," Ryou assured her. "I'll always be here for you"

"Thank you, Ryou" Serenity said, throwing her arms around Ryou and pulling him into a bear hug.

The duo's touching moment was interrupted when they heard Ryou's window being broken. They were both surprised to see Bandit Keith climbing in through the window. Serenity immediately hid behind Ryou.

"Aw, that's so adorable" Keith laughed as he walked closer to the two, an evil look in his eye.

"Bandit Keith," Ryou growled.

"It took me a while, but I finally managed to track you down, Serenity," Bandit Keith said, sauntering over.

"Stay away from her!" Ryou barked, shielding Serenity from the thug.

"And what if I don't?" Bandit Keith replied. "What are you going to do? Beat me up?" Keith laughed and said "You're no fighter like Joey! You're just a puny dweeb like Yugi. Now step aside!"

Keith was surprised when Ryou punched him in the face. Keith staggered back before regaining his composure.

"I'm warning you: leave Serenity alone or else" Ryou said sternly, standing his ground.

"You're going to pay for that, dweeb!" Keith growled as he charged at Ryou. Ryou sidestepped him however and kneed him in the stomach.

Ryou ducked a left hook from Keith and replied with a right hook to Keith's jaw. Bandit Keith took a step back but refused to back down. Ryou threw another punch but Bandit Keith caught his fist. Ryou responded by head butting Bandit Keith in the face. Ryou knocked Keith on his ass and turned to Serenity.

"Run!" He ordered her before being knocked out when Bandit Keith broke a vase over his head.

Serenity had turned to run, but Bandit Keith easily managed to catch her.

"Where do you think you're going?" Keith said, grabbing Serenity by her waist and clamping his hand over her mouth so she couldn't scream. "We've got some catching up to do"

Serenity struggled in his grasp, kicking and clawing trying to escape but Keith was too strong.

"Quit squirming, girly," Keith said as he slung Serenity over his shoulder while dragging an unconscious Ryou with them. "I'll even bring along your boyfriend so you can have some company"

Keith threw Serenity and Ryou in the trunk of his car and drove off before anyone could see them. Bakura had been out searching for Keith and was returning home when he saw a car pull out of the driveway. Bakura saw Bandit Keith sitting in the driver's seat and quickly realized his yadonushi was probably either hurt or in the trunk of the car. Bakura ran to take off after the thug, but it was too late as Keith's car disappeared in the distance.

"Damn it!" Bakura cursed as he ran inside the house, hoping to find any clue of where Keith could've taken his Yadonushi and Serenity. The only thing he found was Ryou's cell phone. Bakura quickly dialed Joey's number to alert him.

"Bakura, have you seen Serenity? She left a few minutes ago and if there's anyone she'd run to, it's you," Joey said.

"I hate to tell you this, but your sister's in grave danger" Bakura told him.

"You?!" Joey exclaimed, thinking Yami Bakura had something to do with the disappearance of his sister. "Alright, what have you done to my sister?!"

"I haven't done anything, you bloody fool! Now I need you to listen to me if you want to save your sister," Bakura informed him.

"And why should I believe you?" Joey asked, not sure of whether to trust the malevolent former spirit of the ring.

"Because your sister ran to my Yadonushi for comfort and Bandit Keith has kidnapped both him and your sister," Bakura told him, getting fed up with Joey's suspicion. "I'm going to need your help if I want to save my Yadonushi"

Joey, having no other choice, agreed work with Bakura and called his other friends to help assist them in finding Serenity and Ryou.

#################################

Keith tied the blindfold too tight for her to see anything. Serenity pulled at the handcuffs restraining her. Currently she was tied tightly to a chair. Serenity could feel Keith's hands tracing across her cheek. Startled, she kicked her leg out, striking Keith in the knee. Serenity's head quickly jerked to the side when Keith slapped her across the face.

"Watch it, girly" Keith hissed. "Don't forget who's in charge here."

"Keep her hands off her!" Ryou yelled. Like Serenity, he had been tied to a chair.

"Excuse me for a moment, cutie" Keith said before walking over to Ryou. "Would you prefer me to hit you instead?"

"You're a sadistic despicable human being!" Ryou said.

"I don't see why you're so angry, you get a front row seat to everything" Keith mocked him.

"Why are you even doing this?" Ryou asked.

"Your friend Joey robbed me of everything," Keith explained. "This is my revenge"

"Joey didn't rob you of anything" Ryou protested. "You robbed yourself when you tried to cheat to win"

Bandit Keith responded by punching Ryou in the face before returning to Serenity. Serenity jumped when Keith placed his hands on her shoulders.

"Why are you so tense? You have nothing to worry about," Keith said, letting out an evil chuckle. "It'll all be over soon"

**In the Next Chapter:**

_**The two rivals stared intensely at each other, having nothing but hatred for each other. This was much more than a simple card game, this was a duel to the death. Joey wouldn't stop until this abomination of a human was six feet under. **_

**Hello, today's Ryou's birthday so I decided to post this chapter today. Happy Birthday Ryou**


	6. Chapter 6

Don't Leave Me C6

"Calm down, Joey; I'm sure we'll find them," Tea tried assuring Joey.

Joey and Bakura had quickly rallied up the rest of the gang to aid in the search for Bandit Keith.

"We better," Joey exclaimed. "Because if that bastard harms even a hair on my sister's head, I'll rip him apart piece by piece!"

"Good luck with that," Bakura said. "You panicking isn't going to help us find your sister any sooner!"

"Bakura's right," said Yugi. "We won't accomplish anything if we're too busy worrying,"

"So Bakura, you saw the car Keith was driving, could you give us a description?" Tristan asked.

"Uh, it was a red sedan, four door with slightly tinted windows," Bakura explained.

"Did you get a glimpse at the license plate?" Joey asked.

"Yes, it said 米国-217 with 29-52 underneath," Bakura said.

"Alright, then let's not waste any time!" Joey said as he and the others left to find Ryou and Serenity

Meanwhile, in an abandoned warehouse. Bandit Keith slowly felt up Serenity's legs, making the girl even more uncomfortable. Keith had put a shock collar on Serenity's neck to keep her in an attempt to make her submissive. Serenity shuddered and struggled in her bonds. Keith snickered at her attempts of escaping and it only made him more eager to get underway. Keith then

"Be a dear and wait patiently while I get the bed ready," Keith whispered in Serenity's ear. "And while a give your friend a front row seat to all the action

Said bed was an old mattress atop a wooden cot that had been nailed to the floor. Keith mockingly cleaned the bed, spraying it with disinfectant to get it ready. He then walked over to a struggling Ryou and hoisted him up, carrying him so that he was right in front of cot. Afterwards, Keith walked back over to Serenity and began untying her from the chair. He made sure to keep her hands and feet bound so she couldn't try and make a run for it. Just to be safe, he kept her blindfolded so that even if she did try to escape, she'd have no idea where she was going. Still, that didn't stop Serenity from twisting and struggling in a desperate attempt to get away from the Bandit. Keith merely laughed, let her go, and then stuck his leg out in front of hers, causing Serenity to fall hard onto the ground. Serenity's head smacked hard against the concrete floor, leaving her semiconscious.

"Are you done?" Keith asked mockingly, picking Serenity up off the ground and dragging her over to the mattress.

Bandit Keith aggressively shoved Serenity onto the bed. He uncuffed and recuffed her hands over her head. Keith then untied her legs and Serenity used the opportunity to kick wildly at him. Her left foot struck Keith in the chin and the slimy former Intercontinental Champion reeled back.

Keith responded by activating the shock collar around her neck. Serenity screamed as electricity cackled through her body.

"Leave her alone!" Ryou shouted, squirming as hard as he could, trying desperately to free himself so he could beat the ever loving crap out of Keith. Ryou's struggling only resulting in the metal cuffs digging deeper and deeper into his wrists, leaving nasty red marks on them. Ryou wasn't concerned about the damage however and his only thought was keeping Serenity safe. Ryou was cursing himself for being so weak and unable to defend the girl he cared about. "Get your hands off of her!"

"Oh yeah, and what are you going to do if I don't?!" Keith yelled back before shooting an icy glare at Serenity. "And you keep it up, I love it when they put up a fight!". Keith decided to taunt Ryou even more. "Don't you worry about little Serenity, I'll show her what a real man is like!"

Keith managed to grab a hold of Serenity's leg and tied both of her legs spread out. He then ripped off her shoes and socks first before straddling her. Serenity screamed out, hoping somebody would hear her and come to her aid. Keith pulled Serenity's hair and forced her lips to come closer to his. Serenity tried twisting her head away but Bandit Keith forcefully shoved his tongue into her mouth.

"You're disgusting!" Serenity shouted, still squirming underneath Keith.

"Oh, don't act like you don't enjoy this!" He taunted Serenity, who responded by spitting in his face. Keith in turn, punched Serenity in the face, almost knocking Serenity out cold and further infuriating Ryou. Keith grabbed a bottle of water and poured it on Serenity's face to keep her from falling unconscious. "Oh no you don't, you're not passing out on me!" Keith snarled. "After all, this is the best part." Keith then started unzipping his pants and Serenity's eyes widened in horror as she knew what Keith's intentions were.

Little did the three of them know that Joey was close to the small warehouse. Bandit Keith had a habit of hiding out in abandoned and isolated places so Joey knew he had to be close. Sure enough, Joey heard a faint scream in the distance that he recognized as his sister's and ran as fast as he could. In his haste, he forgot to alert his friends and tell them that he had found their missing friends.

"Open wide," Keith said, pulling it out of his pants and opening Serenity's mouth. "Now be a good girl and don't bite,"

Serenity gagged as Keith forced it into her mouth, tears flowing like a waterfall. At just that moment, Keith, Serenity, and Ryou heard the doors to the warehouse slam open.

"Serenity?! Bakura?!" Joey called out. "Are you guys here?"

"Looks like we've got company," Keith said, smirking. "Sit tight while I have a little talk with your brother,"

As soon as Keith was gone, Ryou went right back to fiddling with his cuffs. He needed to get Serenity to safety before that bastard came back. First things first, he had to make sure Serenity would be alright.

"Serenity, are you okay?" Ryou asked even though he knew she most likely wasn't.

"I-I think so," Serenity said, sniffling.

"Don't worry; I'm going to get us out of here," Ryou assured her. "I'm just going to need you to keep quiet, understand?"

Serenity nodded.

"So what brings you to these parts of the woods, dweeb?" Keith asked as he confronted Joey.

"I'm not in the mood for games, Keith; where are Bakura and Serenity?" Joey asked, grabbing Kieth by the collar of his shirt, barely able to keep himself from killing the Bandit then and there.

"Nuh-uh-uh, I wouldn't get too worked up if I were you," Keith said, taking a step back and pulling out the trigger to Serenity's shock collar. "One move and your sister will be in a world of pain,"

"Don't you even think of laying a hand on my sister!" Joey yelled, lunging at Keith.

"I warned you," Keith said before activating Serenity's shock collar.

Serenity's agonizing scream echoed throughout the warehouse as Joey backed down, realizing he was at Keith's mercy.

"What do you want?" Joey asked.

"You wouldn't happen to have your deck with you, would you?" Keith asked.

"Yeah, why?" Joey asked.

"One last duel," Keith said, tossing Joey a duel disk. "I need to avenge my loss to you! I have to beat you!"

"So let me get this straight," Joey said. "You did all this so we could have one more duel?"

"I figured I'd make you experience the type of pain I did following Duelist Kingdom before humiliating you," Keith snarled, prepping his own duel disk.

"Fine, I'll duel you, but after this is over I'm going to pound your face into a bloody pulp," Joey said before the two shuffled their decks.

The two rivals stared intensely at each other, having nothing but hatred for each other. This was much more than a simple card game, this was a duel to the death. Joey wouldn't stop until this abomination of a human was six feet under.

Joey started the duel by placing the card "Baby Dragon" face down in defense mode. He then set a trap card and ended his turn. Keith started his turn by summoning a Mechanicalchaser in attack mode. Joey countered by activating his trap card, Trap Hole, destroying Keith's Mechanicalchaser and leaving the latter completely exposed and vulnerable to attack. Bandit Keith wasn't through however and set a trap card of his own before ending his turn.

Joey started the second turn by summoning Alligator's Sword to the field, keeping his Baby Dragon in Defense Mode for good measure. He then directly attacked Bandit Keith with his Alligator's Sword. Keith was more than prepared however and revealed his face down trap card, Mirror's Force, destroying all of Joey's attacking Monsters and preserving his life points. Joey ended his turn by placing one card face down.

While Keith and Joey were dueling, Ryou had finally managed to break one of the cuffs. He struggled, trying to undo the other cuff, determined to free his other hand. Finally he heard a snap and the cuff gave way. Rushing quickly, he ran over to Serenity to start freeing her from her bonds. Ryou looked around to see if he could find a key, but didn't see anything lying around. Thinking quickly, Ryou pulled a hair grip out out of his pocket and began picking the locks to Serenity's cuffs.

"Come on, we have to get out of here," Serenity whispered.

Ryou managed to unlock one cuff and immediately began picking the lock on the other cuff. Meanwhile, the duel between Keith and Joey had Keith at 3200 life points and Joey at 2900 life points. Keith had managed to summoned his Cyber Alligator to the field while Joey had countered by summoning Jinzo and equipping it with 7 Completed. With Jinzo's effect neutralizing all trap cards, Keith had no way to counter Joey's attack, dropping him to 2600 life points. Keith was starting to get frustrated and sneaked a card from one of his cuffs into his deck, one of his signature tricks. Joey ended his turn by raising his life points with Dien Keto the Cure Master, bringing his life points up to 3900.

Keith then used the card he had slipped into his hand, Dark Hole, to destroy all monsters on the field. Since Joey was the only one with monsters on the field, he was the only one who suffered. Keith then used Monster Reborn to resummon his Cyber Alligator to the field before equipping it with a 7 Completed of his own. Keith then directly attacked Joey, dropping his life points down to 700. Keith placed two trap cards down and ended his turn.

"Ha! Only one more pathetic turn before I complete my revenge," Keith laughed. "Draw your last pathetic card."

Joey drew the card Pot of Greed and used it to draw two more cards. Joey then used one of his spell cards, Harpies' Feather Duster in an attempt to destroy Keith's trap cards. Keith countered by revealing one of his trap cards, Magic Jammer, to neutralize the effect. Joey didn't show any signs of this bothering him and revealed two more spell cards in his hand, Raigeki and Monster Reborn. Joey used Raigeki first to destroy all of Keith's monsters before using Monster Reborn to bring back Jinzo, which would render Keith's remaining trap card useless. Joey then summoned the last card in his hand to the field, Zombie Dragon. Keith began sweating as he realized Joey was about to defeat him once again. Instead, Joey did something that surprised him.

"I quit," Joey said.

"What?" Keith asked in surprise.

"I quit," Joey said. "I forfeit the duel, you win."

"What, but you can't just quit!" Keith protested, angry at the thought of being awarded victory in such an underhanded fashion.

"I thought you wanted revenge, I thought you wanted to beat me," Joey said. "Was it really worth it?"

"You, you dweeb! How dare you humiliate me again!" Keith shouted. "I'll show you! Let's see how much your sister enjoys my company!"

Keith turned to run towards the room where Ryou and Serenity were being held, only to run into Ryou, who had managed to free both himself and Serenity. Before Keith could react, Ryou punched him in the face, kneed him in the stomach, head butt him, and then kneed him in the face. Keith staggered backwards, dazed and confused and was then knocked out by a right hook from Joey. Ryou then cuffed his wrists while Joey called the police. Serenity then came out of her hiding place and grabbed Ryou's shoulder. Ryou agreed to escort Serenity home while Joey waited for police to arrive. It appeared that this long nightmare was finally over.

################################

Three weeks later.

Following the incident, Bandit Keith was arrested on charges for kidnapping, assault and battery, and two counts of attempted rape. Ryou, Serenity, and Joey could breathe a sigh of relief knowing that Keith would be behind bars. Following what had happened, Ryou and Serenity had started dating. Slowly, but surely Serenity began recovering from the harrowing ordeal with Ryou there to help her every step of the way. Joey took comfort in knowing that his sister was in safe arms while Bakura would often laugh at how awkward his Yadonushi was around Serenity. Serenity didn't seem to mind Ryou's awkwardness and in fact, it seemed to attract Serenity to him even more. Joey and Yugi were leaving for another Duel Competition in a few weeks and Serenity would be staying with Ryou while they were gone. The couple wished Yugi and Joey good luck before settling down to watch a movie and eventually falling asleep in each other's arms.

The End.

Merry Christmas everybody! I apologize for the delay, I admit I briefly lost interest in this story, but I'm back now. The duel between Joey and Bandit Keith was originally supposed to be much longer and shown in full rather than having a portion of it take place off screen, but I ran out of time while writing this chapter. Anyway, I hope you enjoy your holidays and have a happy new year. Peace out!


End file.
